Cheers, this has been helpful. I think where i've been going wrong is driving down like a leg kick as apposed to scooping up to dump them. I end up in that side position fairly often, go for the sweep and have them stumble to the other side of the ring or fall down in a less than graceful sweep.

"Boxing is the art of hitting an opponent from the furthest distance away, exposing the least amount of your body while getting into position to punch with maximum leverage and not getting hit."
Kenny Weldon

Thanks WS that's really handy, I think I'm not catching my guys side one enough and that little push would help me as well. I think I an see where the hip would come in as the first touch, the guy in the Savate vid seems to strike first high up on the thigh, almost at hip. I'll give it a try.

I've done it inadvertently in sparring, but I'll try that out. Thanks WS. I think what I am missing is just what Sang said, scooping up a bit. Too focused on making impact damage.

I've been trying a more pure MT approach to sparring counter fighters: my co-instructor at the club is one of those guys.

I discovered setting up a tighter guard while he hits me outside my range, and instead of trying slip/weave/time his strikes for my counter, that it was more effective to wait until his combinations end and open up with a leg/body kick counter and wear him down that way. Its kind of a toughguy strategy but I'll see how it pans out.

And I think this sweep might be very useful in that context, esp if I time it right where he is backing off to reset his feet, or he is on one leg after throwing his finishing kick.

You've got guts to post a video where you basically got battered down.

Here's a couple of advice that might help you, aside from the basical "don't fight a much heavier fighter", "be more relaxed" and other truisms:

1) Work your jab. A lot. It's one of the most important weapon of striking and you clearly suck at it. You don't need anything special to train it either, but one thing that might make it even better is shadow boxing with weights. I've always had a good punching power (according to people) but they weren't very explosive just like you, then one day I started shadow boxing with weights, not even THAT much, and I can tell you that I felt the difference a LOT after only a week or two.

2) Work your footwork and as someone's already said, never show your back to your opponent. I know a lot of it has to do with the adrenalin and inexperience, but that guy's wild swining could have been easily prevented by simply backing up and circling away a-la Cro Cop. I know not everyone will agree with it, but in that cases, don't even be afraid to back up a bit.

I've sparred with guys like your opponent, a lot of them get very nervous whenever they get hit in the face and start doing exactly what that guy was doing. Backing up and circling away has ALWAYS worked for me, it often pisses them off (I can remember one of them saying "goddamnit stop running away") but I just didn't care.

When you've got the technique mastered down, you can easily circle away and counter the guy with a good straight, if you know you've got enough power aim to hurt him, but if not you can still try to blind him for a split second and then use that split second to unleash combinations. For more fun, back away again and see your opponent flail his arms in the air.

3) Work your punching power as much as you can, especially during off-seasons. If you've got time (and money), lift weights, some people think it's useless, I don't. Weight training CORRECTLY will always be beneficial, especially if you lack power. Studies have actually shown that, contrary to the popular idea, weight training can even HELP your endurance.

Other than that, I think you did "ok", but the guy very obviously was bigger and more powerful. Your style would have probably beaten him if you had more experience but aggressive, swinging guys usually have the advantage if it's your first fight.

I just read through this response. I am training (actualyl same gym as Marbledan) at a new gym over the summer and I am being taught exactly that; apparently the biggest thing missing in my leg kick rules game is footwork.

I've been told what you just told me, and others have told me not to back up when I'm getting beasted like that. I've tried both and both seem to work to differing degrees but I am going to focus on the footwork for now. (you can see some of the "stuffing" working here: http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...on#post2351808)

When you mention weightlifting, what kind of lifting do you do? I usually do squat, bench, deadlift and rows. I am usually not that skinny, but whenever I kick up my cardio and focus on kickboxing my musculature suffers quite a bit. I don't have any natural punching power but my power was down even more at the time of that fight. (Not having a heavy bag at my university club can't help either)

Christ, what a clusterfuck of a fight. I think if I had my head straight I could have at least chopped him down with leg kicks, but I hadn't kicked a leg for a long time at the time of that fight.